Promise Arizona hits the streets to encourage immigration reform

PHOENIX -- A neighborhood petition to get support for comprehensive immigration reform was being carried around in select Phoenix neighborhoods.

“They have to go through a process, a process that includes a criminal background checks, they pay back taxes, learn English and become integrated into our communities and get in the back of the line, so it's not a free pass,” said Petra Falcon with Promise Arizona.

They gathered at First Institutional Baptist Church so that volunteers from Promise Arizona could get praise and direction before hitting the streets.

One thing they hope to stop is the deportation of illegal immigrants.

“Lots of my friends had to go back to Mexico and I can't keep in touch, I can't see them or talk to them, like they're gone and out of my life, they've been really close and to see that it really hurts,” said volunteer Andres Gigueroa.

Saturday’s event wasn’t just happening in the Valley, but in 90 other cities in 19 other states.

“We've been traveling to Maricopa County, Pinal, to Pima, to Yuma, visiting the members of congress' office with a message that we need to keep families together through a comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship,” said Falcon.